Great news! We successfully complete ICR. We have the certificate to prove it!
My advice for survival… Starbucks. The cup is extra cute because they wrote my name in Japanese.
Once we completed ICR, we rolled into the 3 hour safety brief. This brief is required before taking the written and practical portion of the driving test. I was extra glad I had an extra coffee in the morning.
During lunch, we crammed for the written portion of the test.
We took the test after lunch. And PASSED! Our next step was taking the driving portion of the test. Whew. It was oddly stressful. Number 1 Rule: Keep Left.
As predicted, we both hit the windshield wipers when we were attempting to use our turn signals. They are reversed – the blinker is on the right & wipers on the left. Yokosuka Wave (def): When a driver hits the wipers by accident instead of the intended turn signal.
In preparation for our test, we have been discussing throughout the week how to make turns. We came up with this chant: “Tight left & wide right. Just like Navy football.” While driving today, I chanted each in my head at every stop sign. Fortunately, no issues with turns. Backing up, on the other hand, was very odd. The instructor directed me to a parking spot that was not straight back. This caused me to turn as I backed into it. Turning to look over my left shoulder felt wrong and so naturally I looked right. This did absolutely no good. Half way through my backing up, I had a moment of panic. Side note, it doesn’t help that EVERY car beeps when you back up!! Deep breath. Relax. Use your side mirror. Ahhhhh… Find your back-up parking Zen. Next thing I know, I was parked and it was Dave’s turn. Whew. He did just as amazing.
And with that, our Friday commenced. Drive safely! And absolutely NO drinking & driving. I took a picture of the slide from the safety brief. The Japanese do not play with DUI/DWI. The legal limit in Japan is .03 BAC. Pretty much guaranteed jail time for the driver & the passenger!!!
